Plenty of the JV football Wildcats see action, as Saint Ignatius moves to a 21-0 lead by halftime. Up next for Coach Ryan Franzinger's junior varsity is Saturday's match up with rival St. Edward. The kick off from Wasmer Field will be 10 AM.

Just a reminder that Saint Ignatius' 5-1 freshmen will take on a very strong freshman football program from St. Vincent-St. Mary on Thursday evening at Wamser Field. The Saint Ignatius athletics website has the game scheduled for 6 PM, but the corner suggests arriving at 5:30. And, as we posted this afternoon, the corner will provide an in-depth preview tomorrow (Tuesday) night on the Wildcats' varsity football matchup with Maryland-based Eastern Christian Academy. The game is Saturday at 2 PM on Parma's Byers Field.

Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats remained in the ninth spot in this week's Associated Press Division I state poll.

HERE IS THE STORY ON THE JUNIOR VARSITY'S VICTORY OVER HOLY NAME.

Ohio City - Saint Ignatius head junior varsity football coach Ryan Franzinger '02 said his team played a nice first half during Monday evening's 28-0 victory over Holy Name on Wasmer Field.

The former Wildcats football and track and field standout was also pleased that he and his staff were able to utilize a lot of players against the Green Wave.

That said, there are always things that need some fine tuning and the late-game turnovers by the Wildcats, while they came with the second and third units on the field, can't happen. Especially when you are preparing for the biggest game of the year - Saturday's 10 AM encounter with the junior varsity program from St. Edward.

As for Monday night, Saint Ignatius' first team wasted little time in setting the tempo.

Accepting the opening kickoff, the JV 'Cats marched 68 yards in six plays. On first-and-goal from the 9, gifted sophomore quarterback Dennis Grosel rolled left, picked up some blocking and beat the pursuit as he dove past the pylon in the left corner of Wasmer Field's scoreboard end zone. Sophomore Ryan Berger was money on the extra-point kick and Saint Ignatius led, 7-0, with 7 minutes and 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Some strong running by lightning-quick sophomore tailback James Norris helped fuel the drive.

The Wildcats, who had an impressive punt return for a touchdown by multi-talented sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Jack Cook wiped out by a penalty in the early going, rode a 30-yard punt return by smooth and savvy sophomore wide receiver Cal Grbac to a first down at the Green Wave 46.

Eight plays later, sophomore running back Daniel Volpe went 1-yard over the left side and into the Lorain Avenue end zone. Ryan Berger was again high and true on his PAT and the 'Cats pushed their lead to 14-0 with 4:11 left in the first half. Volpe's tough inside running and a sure-handed reception by sophomore receiver Jim Berger, Ryan's twin brother, were the keys to covering the 46 yards.

Saint Ignatius' special teams came to the fore one more time before the first half ended, as another big-time punt return by Grbac had the Wildcats knocking on the door at the Holy Name 28.

From there, a couple of hard-nosed runs by Volpe set up a perfectly executed 14-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Mike Huber to sophomore wideout Nicholas Freund. Huber put the ball where it had to be and Freund made an impressive effort against tight coverage in the right corner of the Lorain Avenue end zone. Mr. Reliable, aka Ryan Berger, added his third PAT and Saint Ignatius led, 21-0, at halftime.

"I'm happy that Holy Name plays us," said Coach Franzinger of what was once one of the city's biggest West Side varsity rivalries. "They only had about 26 players, but they wanted to play us and I give them credit for that. I respect them for playing us and playing hard. They've played us hard every time we've faced them. Last year at St. Bridget it was a very good game.

"This is a good thing," Coach Franzinger continued in reference to the JV matchups between the Green Wave and the Wildcats. "If you want to be good, you have to play good teams."

Holy Name had some opportunities against the 'Cats, only to watch Saint Ignatius' defense rise to the occasion.

An impressive catch and run by Markee Zrnich gave Holy Name a first down at the Saint Ignatius 18. The Blue and Gold D stepped up, however, and turned back the Green Wave charge off a fourth-and-1 from the 9 by dropping the running back for a 4-yard loss. The fourth-down play was in jeopardy right from the start as the Holy Name quarterback dropped the ball before picking it up and handing it off.

The Green Wave also attempted to turn an interception at the Wildcats' 32 into points, but an athletic play by 'Cats' sophomore defensive end Tito Vazquez, an effort that saw Tito run down the quarterback for a huge loss, put an end to those thoughts. Tito played a solid game up front.

As for the second half, Cook provided the final touchdown by picking off a pass inside the Holy Name 13 and galloping into the scoreboard end zone with just 10 seconds gone in the third quarter. Ryan Berger's ensuing kick accounted for the 28th point.

With Coach Franzinger and his staff shuffling players in and out, Saint Ignatius stopped itself down the stretch by twice fumbling inside the Holy Name 10.